When I became a student in a Primary class of Christian Science, a whole new world opened up for me. The class taught me to think more spiritually about God and man (meaning all men and women), and it gave me a great gift: It taught me how to heal. One of my greatest discoveries I found in class was learning that God is Soul, and that there is a presence, joy, and majesty to Soul.
I learned that Soul inspires freedom and confidence in us, and I learned about Soul’s healing and cleansing power. I learned that Soul is the source of harmony, and that deep harmony in man is the basis of his health. In time, I would also find that there is no greater joy on earth than the joy of healing spiritually.
Soul is one of seven names for God that Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, derived from her study of the Bible. The term’s common meaning is related to the Old Testament concept that the heart of man, his soul, lives on eternally and is untouched by death. Mrs. Eddy, however, lifted the thought of Soul to the level of the Divine. Soul, she states in her textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, is a synonym for God, and gives us special insights into the divine nature. Not only does Soul speak to us of God’s infinite individuality, but it also tells each of us, as ideas of Soul, of our unique individuality.
Soul brings out the creative aspect of God, expressed in harmony and beauty. Soul indicates the majesty in our environment. Music is part of Soul’s expression. Flowers are symbols of Soul. As Mrs. Eddy writes, “Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color” (Science and Health, p. 247).
Soul tells us of our oneness with God. We find this oneness in quietness and spiritual contemplation, a serenity gained when we turn to God in prayer. It is a place of security, where we feel no fear, for fear is found only in the supposed absence, or vacuum, of Soul. Fear is an emptiness we feel if we think we are separated from God. Yet, in Soul’s allness, there can be no separation but only the perfect assurance of our oneness with God, divine Love. As the Bible says, “Perfect love casteth out fear” (I John 4:18).
I knew that Soul was the source of all real life, and I stoutly maintained that I was immortal. I decided that losing my life was not an option.
Soul is not something external to us. It is the kingdom of heaven, harmony, within us—within consciousness. Recently, I saw a crescent moon rise slowly above the clouds. It felt as if Soul was revealing itself to me. Another time, after visiting an artist’s gallery, I was so inspired when I walked out that I felt as if I was viewing a whole new world. Every person passing by on the sidewalk was unique. Clouds and trees all seemed a marvel of Soul’s artistry.
Yet Soul has a much larger purpose than showing us art and its glory. Soul brings greater depth to our individual lives. It gives us a spiritual sense that tunes out the static of material living. It brings joy to our moments and fulfillment to our days. Our lives can’t plateau when brought under the control of Soul. Loneliness is not part of a Soul-filled life. We move forward with confidence.
Furthermore, the power of Soul overthrows the intimidation of sin, disease, and death—that “triad of errors” as Mrs. Eddy calls them (Science and Health, p. 122). Soul lifts us above feelings of unsustainable living, life in matter, and mortality. It restores our natural vitality. It heals because it radiates perfection and rejects disease. Christ Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
When we spiritualize our thinking and gain a greater sense of our spiritual perfection, we are lifted into health. As Mrs. Eddy writes, “The body improves under the same regimen which spiritualizes the thought; …” (Science and Health, p. 370).
Some years ago my wife and I led 50 teenagers on a month-long tour of Europe. We helped organize the trip and looked forward to taking it. About three months before we were to leave, I suffered a serious heart condition that put me to bed. Taking the trip was put in doubt.
Realizing I was an idea of Soul and not physical, I rebelled against the thought that any bodily organ was out of divine Mind’s control. I sensed, though, for the first time, that my human life could be cut short. Yet I knew that Soul was the source of all real life, and I stoutly maintained that I was immortal. I decided that losing my life was not an option.
I claimed my heritage of health. I knew that because God was my Creator, there could be no flaws in my nature that could make me vulnerable to pressure on the heart. Daily I held to the truth that I lived in Soul and not in a physical body, even though the physical senses tried to tell me otherwise. I knew that I lived in God, eternal Life.
As I pondered these ideas, slowly I gained confidence in Soul’s power to preserve me, and I found health and wholeness returning to the bodily system. We took the trip. Europe was full of beauty. My wife and I often went dancing at the discos with the teens. Soul was supreme in our hearts.
The irregular heart condition, however, did not completely leave me until some time later when I was serving as First Reader in my Christian Science branch church. About four months into this commitment, I found myself feeling spiritually uplifted by the Christian Science Bible Lessons I was reading. At that point, the symptoms of the heart condition left me forever. For years after that, I played a vigorous game of tennis with a good friend on a weekly basis. Soul had returned harmony and joy to my life.
The world cries out for health. Gratefully, everyone can learn to prove the health-giving power of Soul. We can reject the aggressive claims of a diseased body. Through the Science of Soul, we can learn to master the claims of sickness, sin, and the devilish taunts of death. Soul destroys them all. Through our understanding of this Science, Soul becomes a law of wholeness and health in our lives.
